Marine Test Engineer

Marine Engineers may spend months designing and building the complicated engines, lubrication systems, ventilation plans, and sewage systems that belong in large vessels. Once the systems are built and in place, a Marine Test Engineer tries to break them. By running all of the equipment through its paces, the Marine Test Engineer ensures that it really works the way it’s supposed to. If the Marine Test Engineer succeeds in breaking the systems, it could save the company thousands of dollars down the line, as the problem can be fixed before the vessel is handed to the client.

As a Marine Test Engineer, you begin a project by looking through the Marine Engineers’ drawings of the vessel and its equipment. You memorize how everything should be installed, where it should be, and how it should work. Then, you hop aboard and start your testing.

Everything on the ship is fair game. During your tests, you might heat the ship up to 100 degrees and cool it down to 30 degrees. Using specialized equipment, you measure how many pollutants are escaping into the water. Pretending to be a pirate, you check the ship’s onboard alert system.

When all of your tests are done, you write a formal report of all the problems you found. This takes tact, as you’re basically creating a list of errors that others have made. It can make you unpopular, unless you sandwich your complaints between compliments.